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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

I was using my laptop to run Debian Wheezy as a server from the built-in HDD. It would never let the HDD spin down, though, so I decided to try booting from a USB flash drive. I left the original install on the HDD alone, just in case I screwed up.

I managed to install Debian Wheezy to a 4GB USB flash from the Netinstall ISO, but I must have messed up somewhere because, to boot the Flash drive, I have to choose the HDD from the boot menu. If I choose the USB drive, it just does nothing. My machine is capable of USB booting (I've done it before), I've just screwed up somehow.

I guess what's happened is that I mucked up the GRUB bit of the install, so it changed the /boot partition (the original HDD install uses separate /boot and / partitions) of the HDD to point to the Flash drive.

Once the machine is booted to the USB flash drive everything works fine: I can spin down the HDD immediately after boot and it never wakes up. But now I'd like to use the HDD to store data, but first I'm going to have to fix this /boot mistake.

I do have a /boot directory at the root of my USB flash install, and it appears to contain the correct files:

I checked in cfdisk, and there doesn't appear to be a partition flagged for "BOOT" on the USB flash drive, as there is on the HDD, though there is a partition with all the same characteristics as the /boot partition on the HDD:

Code:

HDD: sda1 Boot Primary ext2 254.81*
Flash:sdc1 Primary ext2 254.81*

I'm thinking that fixing this might be as simple as flagging the sdc1 partition for BOOT, but I'd hate to make a further mistake that screws up both my working installs.